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25
MAR
2012
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I recently discovered that the vast majority of films are being released in Pan & Scan format on DVD in South Africa by Nu Metro and Ster Kinekor. SABC and DSTV have been converting films for years so that they fit on TV screens, and it was common practice back in 1980s during the VHS era. But ever since DVD emerged on market in 1990s and the increasing popularity of widescreen 16:9 TVs, the Pan and Scan process was abandoned overseas, and films are supposed to be released in their original widescreen aspect ratio on DVD and Blu-ray. You don't expect to find films such as Abduction, Colombiana, Killer Elite, Warrior, The Resident, Blitz and many more to be in 1.78 format on DVD, when you walk into your local video store in South Africa. I recently upgraded my home theatre, by replacing my 16:9 projection screen for a 2.35 aspect ratio screen and adding a Panamorph anamorphic lens to convert my Full HD JVC 16:9 3D projector to cinemascope. Phillips also launched the world’s first cine.. [More]
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Nu Metro converting Scope Films from 2.35 and 2.40:1 to 1.78:1 (16:9) Pan & Scan format
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08
MAR
2012
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This month you can celebrate two centennials worthy of praise. The first is the 100 year anniversary of the Chinese revolution that ended 250 years of Qing dynasty rule. The second is that this is Jackie Chan's 100th film, a major accomplisment for the world renowned actor. The movie that celebrates both these centennials is titled 1911 Revolution and is directed by Zhang Li and Jackie Chan.The film, which co stars Jackie Chan's son, Jaycee Chan, Joan Chen, Lee Bing Bing and Winston Chao, is about Sun Yat-Sen's (Winston Chao) and Huang Xing's (Jackie Chan) struggle to raise money and revolt against the Qing Dynasty and its new modern army. With the country in a state of disarray, revolution is the only option if the Chinese People wish to hold onto their country and bring it up to date with other leading nations of the world. The film chronicles the struggle of Sun Yat-Sen's attempts to obtain funds for the revolution and prevent the cash strapped Qing leaders from getting outside loan.. [More]
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Jackie Chan , 1911 Revolution , makes 100 movies
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01
MAR
2012
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The Academy Awards have been accused of being boring and predictable. This may be true of the event as a spectacle, but award ceremonies should be more concerned with credibility than accessibility. This year's nominations featured a number of surprises in the wake of The Golden Globes with a number of snubs. Here are this year's winners and losers with a brief commentary on the results. Best Picture Winner: The Artist Nominees: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Hugo, Moneyball, Midnight in Paris, The Descendants, The Help, The Tree of Life, War Horse The Best Picture category was an interesting one. The Artist was the most superior film, an original -rounder and fully deserved the accolades. However, it wasn't a particularly strong year for film and most of the main competition were either not in the running or flawed. Hugo and War Horse lacked the performances, The Help lacked in the technical department, Moneyball was a baseball version of The Social Network, Midnight in Pari.. [More]
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Oscars 2012
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06
FEB
2012
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When it comes out this winter, the 84-inch LG 84LM9600 will be the largest LCD the market has yet seen, and one of the first with 4K resolution. As if LED and 3D TV weren't confusing enough, 2012 and beyond will bring an HDTV technology called 4K. It's being heralded as the next high-def, and manufacturers are already lining up to bring you products. But just as was the case with 3D, it's the hardware chicken before the software egg: there's no consumer 4K content available. Still, if you listen to the industry, it'll tell you it's the last resolution you'll ever need. So what is 4K anyway, and what makes it different from high definition? The different types of digital resolutions The latest in a line of broadcast and media resolutions, 4K is due to replace 1080i/p (1,920x1,080 pixels) as the highest-resolution signal available for movies and, perhaps, television. Though there are several different standards, "4K" in general refers to a resolution of roughly 4,000 pixels wide an.. [More]
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4K resolution
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02
FEB
2012
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation shut down one of the world's most popular file-sharing websites as a debate rages in Washington over whether to give the government new powers to crack down on Internet pirates. Authorities claim Megaupload Ltd., based in Hong Kong, and its collection of websites generated more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and caused more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners. Last week Thursday, police arrested four employees of the company in Auckland, New Zealand, charging them with conspiracy to commit racketeering and criminal copyright infringement. The raid heats up a growing political debate that has pit Internet liberties against copyright enforcement. In response, the Anonymous hacker group said last week Thursday that it had brought down the U.S. Justice Department's website and several others. That same evening, the department said its Web server was experiencing "a significant increase in activity, resulting in a degradation.. [More]
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Meagupload , Online Piracy
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01
FEB
2012
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The US Congress has halted debate on two contested anti-online piracy bills. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid delayed a vote on the Protect IP Act (Pipa) scheduled on 24 January 2012. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith then said his panel would not consider the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) until a compromise was reached. The decisions follow protests by online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, and thousands of other websites, which went "dark" in protest for 24 hours 2 weeks ago. "In light of recent events, I have decided to postpone Tuesday's vote on the PROTECT IP Act," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, said in a statement. Mr Smith, a Texas Republican in the House of Representatives, said in a statement: "I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy. "It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell.. [More]
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Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) PIPA , Online Piracy
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30
JAN
2012
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“Golden Globes are just like the Oscars without all that esteem. The Golden Globes are to the Oscars like Kim Kardashian is to Kate Middleton, bit louder, bit drunker, bit trashier, and more easily bought. Allegedly. Nothing’s been proved.” — Host Ricky Gervais, as he opens the show. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA **Winner** The Descendants (Fox Searchlight Pictures) The Help (DreamWorks Pictures) Hugo (Paramount Pictures) The Ides of March (Columbia Pictures) Moneyball (Columbia Pictures) War Horse (DreamWorks Pictures) BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA **Winner** Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs Viola Davis – The Help Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA **Winner** George Clooney – The Descendants Brad Pitt – Moneyball Ryan Gosling – The Ides of March Michael Fassbender – Shame Leonardo DiCaprio – J. Edgar BEST .. [More]
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Golden Globe Awards
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19
JAN
2012
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Roger Ebert blames Cinemas for 2011's Down Year at the Box Office.The reviewer says high prices for 3D, high prices for refreshments and popular indie films not being screened by movie-house giants are to blame for the year's poor attendance. Though 2011 ended on an up note with Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol taking in a total of $134 million in USA over the Christmas and New Year's holiday weekends, it's no secret that the year has been a tough one for the movie industry. American audiences have simply not turned out to the cinemas. The domestic box office was down 3.4 percent from 2010, bringing movie attendance down to a 16-year low. Box office revenue, which still exceeded $10 billion dollars, has been on the climb in the last few years, breaking records along the way. But even during these good times, Hollywood studios have been lobbying the US government, and governments around the world, to adopt tougher copyright laws to deal with copyright infringemen.. [More]
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Cinema Attendance Down 2011
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13
JAN
2012
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American box-offices have reported domestic revenues for the year of $10.15 billion, down 4 percent from 2010's, according to tracker Hollywood.com. Taking higher ticket prices into account, movie attendance is off even more, with an estimated 1.275 billion tickets sold, a 4.8 percent decline and the smallest movie audience since 1995, when admissions totaled 1.26 billion. That means an estimated 1.28 billion people went to the movies in 2011 — the lowest turnout since 1995, when 1.211 billion people showed up at their local theaters. Attendance reached an all-time high in 2002 (1.57 billion), according to the National Association of Theater Owners. The good news: foreign box office revenues are at an all-time high. As the first blockbuster of the New Year, Sony’s The Green Hornet starring Seth Rogen proved once again that January does not have to be a box office no man’s land as it raked in a solid $33.5 million. The first quarter also included Oscar contenders such as True Grit,.. [More]
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Box Office Year of 2011
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09
JAN
2012
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The New York Times reported on 25 December that US cinema ticket sales in North America for December 2011 were running about $500 million behind 2010 — despite higher prices — prompting a round of soul searching by studios trying to determine what went wrong and how best to proceed. Movies are a cyclical business and analysts say that 2010 benefited mightily from holdover sales for “Avatar,” which was released late in 2009 and became one of the most popular movies of all time. A decline of hundreds of millions of dollars is not catastrophic when weighed against the size of the industry. Over all, North American ticket revenue for 2011 is projected to be about $10.1 billion, according to Hollywood.com, which compiles box-office data. That is only a 4.5 percent falloff from 2010. But studio executives are alarmed by the downturn nonetheless, in part because the real picture is worse than the raw revenue numbers suggest. Revenue, for instance, has been propped up by a glut of 3-D film.. [More]
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Movie Box Office for 2011
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